Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-12-24
ABOUT NAILS.
AN INTERESTING CHAT ABOUT THB TRADE
WITH 4 MANUFACTURER.
In Which BE Explains Why Wheeling Factories Are
Being Knocked Out Of the Market on
Small Nails and Suggests
Remedy.

HAS the bottom that was reported as
falling out of the nail trade brought up
any place YETI" interrogsted a reporter of
nail manufacturer yesterday.
"Well, can't say that there has been
such great fall lately, if you refer to the
nail trade in general. OF course in small
nails we are somewhat knocked out of the
market, and unless something is done We
cannot but lose all the trade in small
nails, and after awhile will be manufactur
ing only nails from five or six penny up"
What is the exact cause of this condi-
tion of things?"
There are several. As you know, the
wire nail has come into great prominence
and is used very largely in the smaller
sizes, because they are especially adapted
to box work and the like, where strength
is not especially needed, and then, OF
course, they are cheaper than the cut nail,
considering the increased number per
pound. Another reason is that the tack
factories are manufacturing a large num-
ber of the smaller sized nails and putting
them on the market at a less price really
than it costs us To make them. Now, for
instance, take tine-thrippeny; tack manu-
iacturers can make them at u cost not ex-
ceediug i6 to l. cents per key, while il
costs us $l.4O per keg to manufacture
them
Why is this?"
plain enough. In our factories one
mailer runs four machines, and if he has
self-feeders, he hires two boys to attend
them. This is regulation job, and no
mailer ever has more than that number OF
machines, although he really could man
aye more. Well, Of course, 10 make fair
day : wages for himself and his two assist
ants, he must he paid good price per keg,
and taking the whole cost of manufacture
it amounts as have stated, to 81 30 per
key.
Now we will look at the cost TO the
tack manufacturer. The mailer is not re.
stricted 10 four machines, and he can man
age twelve, or, perhaps, fifteen machines,
and keep them all running unless some
thing is out of order. They buy their
steel nail plate and put it in pickle,
which has the effect of taking
of all the scale, making il
much easier on the dies and knives,
10 that one machine will run q day or
80 without grinding, while one of our
machines has to be ground up two or three
times day. You see all this is saving
of time, which Is consumed in turning out
nails Then again the tack men shear up
their plates into shOut three-lOot lengths,
| 80 that one boy can attend four al five
times as many machines as boy III our
factory. Now the whole matter is plain
rbe tack factory mailer having more than
double the number of machines and TN
pl0ying less than one fourth the assist
ancc, can make good wages for great
deal less per key OF nails than we ARE com.
PEELED to pay, and az the greater part OF
the cost llcs III this branch of the manu-
iaCture OF nails, il is at once seen what a
great advantags the tack manufacturer has
over us--so great an advantage, in fact,
that, ~ ] say, they can put their nails On
the market for leS9 figure than il costs Us
To manufacture them
well should the ualeIs agree 10 run
the machines On the same plan az that in
vogue in the tack factories, couldn't Won
then compete with the tack manulhCtur-
err
oh, YES; if they would agree 10 do
that il would be all settled and We could
hold our trade That is about the only
plausible or practicable way ont
Cf the difficulty, and it would place
us in the market on an equal footing
with our competitors. However, | am al
lraid the matters would not accept such
terms, as the laws of the Amalgamated As
sociatUn of which they are members,
would he in conflict. They might, though,
seeing the condition affairs are in, agree
upon some measure whereby We could fix
no an arrangement that would obyiate the
trouble. There is one thing certain, and
that is, we cannot hope 10 retain our trade
unless we can cut down the cost of manu-
| taCturc.'
"Have yOu received any overtures from
the nailerst"
"None at all. Our last meeting dis.
solved without liking any time for iu-
ture meeting We explained the situation
OF affairs to the nailers and asked them TO
| investigate and satisfy themselves ~ TO our
position in the matter, and ! think they
will do SO We also learned that mills
down the river were cutting down the
nalers wages Tor making the smaller sizes
OF nails, aud informed them of that If
they do investigate the matter and desire
4 meeting for the purpose Of making any
sort of proposition, we shall I've glad TO
confer with them again, and | hope they
will do 40, for their interest as wei! ~ our
own
And how is the nail trade, generally
speaking
Leaving the small nail out of the ques-
tion, it is very good for this time Of year,
and We have more orders booked than We
had any reason to expect. ] think
there is no great cause 10 complain, con-
sidering what it was some months ago. II
is my opinion the spring trade will i'm
prove greatly, because Wheeling still
holds her reputation for good nails, and as
long as we can compete with other manu-
iacturers in the line of cost Of making, We
will, believe, knock them ont in quality.
have no fear on that score, and II there
is a demand Wheeling will still control the
| bulk Of the trade. The Wheeling nail
still stands at the head and we propose To
keep it there If it is within our power TO
do So"